Air conditioner for compartments and railway cars



C. F. SHADLE Jun 10, 1930.

AIR CONDITIONER FOR COMPAR TMENTS AND RAILWAY CARS Filed July 18, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR. (u/01w 1-." 5/1/7045.

A ORNEYS.

C. F. SHADLE June 10, 1930;.

Filed July 18, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

H Rd .2 ms WE I N 0 W H 2 0 conditioned air.

Patented June 10, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLINTON I. SHADLE, 01E INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AIR DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK AIR CONDITIONER FOR .OOMPARTMENTS AND RAILWAY. CARS Application filed July 18,

This invention pertains to a process and apparatusused 1n connectlon therewith, for

conditioning air for use in compartments, and

particularly railway cars, reference being had to application Serial No. 189,534, filed May 7 1927, for Process and apparatus for conditioning air.

The principal object of this invention is to apply the principlesinvolved and as set forth in the above-mentioned application, to a box which may be conveniently mounted on or under a railway car for causing a circulation through said car of cleansed and cooledair. The apparatus disclosed herein is particularly designed for usein connection with Pullman cars and the like, wherein the air' is caused to circulate through the interior of the. car by a forced draft, and upon being drawn from the car through the apparatus, it is washed and cleansedthereby, and thereafter cooled so as to be conditioned for forcing the same back into the car and thus maintaining a constant circulation of properly cooled and While the invention is herein illustrated and described as being applied to a Pullman coach or the like, it may likewise be employed in connection with a refrigeratingcar, or, on the other hand, with modifications may be used for conditioning air in a room or buildmg.

application of the features set forth in the above-mentioned application to this particular employment, wherein the air is not only washed and cleansed, but is cooled and reduced in temperature through a plurality of stages so as to permit the precipitation of moisture without freezing.

Another feature of theinvention resides in the construction of the apparatus, whereby it may be converted in the winter time from a cooling medium to a heating medium upon the mere interchanging ofthe cooling and heating elements.

Thefull nature .of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and elaims:

One feature of the invention resides in the 1 In the drawmgs, Figure 1 is a central ver-- 1927. Serial No."206,719.

tical sect-ion through the apparatus. Fig.2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1. F ig.4 is a side elevation of a portion of a car showing the apparatusattached thereto. Fig. 5 is the same as Fig. 1, showing a plurality of heating units mounted in the box in place of the cooling units.

In the drawings there is shown a rectangular box or container 10 which is well insulated, said box being provided with two com-' partments, '11 and 12. Said compartments are separated by a vertically-extending partition 13 having a relatively large central opening 14 therein which is protected by a wire screen 15. Above the opening 14: there,

the box and connected with the boilers 18. there are the usual refrigerating pipes 21. Intermediate each of said pipes 21 there is a;

downwardly extending fin 22 depending from the horizontal partition 23. At the'left-hand end of the box there is an air duct 24: through which air may be drawn from the interior of the car through the usual grating in the fioor thereof, as indicated by arrows, into a passageway 25 extending longitudinally of the, compartments 11 and 12. Said passageway is separated from the compartments 11 and 12 by the partition or'false bottom 26.

Contained in the passageway 25 and posi+ tioned slightly beyond the entrance of the air duct'there is a plurality of air duct pipes 27 supported at their ends by a header plate 28. Said pipes continue to the other end of the-passagewaywherethey are curved upwardly so that the air passing therethrough will bedischarged into a compartment 29. Adjacent their upturned ends which extend at varying heights, as illustrated in Fig. 51, I thereisa partition 30 surrounding the pipes 'thebox along the bottom thereof and below and preventing any air from passing therebetween. A screen 31 is secured in the chamber 29 -so as to extend over the ends of said pipes. Water is maintained in the passageway which passes toward the partition 13 and into the passage 26 to a point near the bottom thereof through the drain pipes 32. The level of the water drained into the passageway is maintained constant through the medium of a trap 33 which communicates with the discharge pipe 34.

The compartments 11 and 12, aswell as the compartment 29, are filled with coke, or any similar material capable of breaking up the current of air passing therethrough, baffiing it and arresting its passage so as to permit the proper cooling thereof.

The air is drawn through the passageway 25, and the compartments into a blower fan 35 which is operated by a motor 36 in a separate compartment or box secured at the discharge end of the box 16, the air passing therein from the compartment 12 through the passageway 38.

In operation, when it is desired to freshen and cool the air of a car, the refrigerating unit in the compartment 11 is maintained at a temperature of approximately degrees Fahrenheit, while the refrigerating unitin the compartment 12 is maintained at a'lower temperature of approximately 25 degrees Fahrenheit. The convenient way of operating the two evaporators (refrigerating units) at difierent temperatures is to subject them to diiferent suction pressures. This may be effected by thermostatic control, or by the use of a double suction compressor, or by connection to different stages of a stage com-.

pressor, or by any other of the many known arrangements for controlling evaporator temperature. The particular means used is not a feature of the invention and no novelty is claimedfor it, hence it is not illustrated.

Thus upon the blower fan being started, air is drawn first through the inlet 24 intothe passageway 25, where it comes into contact with water, which, during the operation of the car, is splashed about therein so as to wash the air. Likewise, a certain amount of water will be contained in some of-the pipes 27 through which the air will be drawn. Any cinders, dust, and impurities of this character, will thus be withdrawn from the air before it reaches the first chamber 11. Also. by reason of the relatively low temperature of the water contained in the passage because of 'its drainage from the compartments, such air will be cooled and reduced in temperature to an appreciable 'degreeapproximately between40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This may be termed the first or regenerative stage. Thereupon, the air passes into the compartment 11 maintained at approximately 30 de grees Fahrenheit. By reason of its contact with the coke contained therein, it will be broken up and its passage retarded so that it will receive full benefit of the cooling medium. During its passage through the compartment 11, the air will be considerably reduced in temperature, precipitating the large part of its moisture, but the temperature of this compartment is not such as to cause the freezing or frosting of the precipitated moisture from the air, since the water will quickly drain therefrom. The drier cold air after having passed therethrough, will then pass into compartment 12, where it will be still further reduced in temperature and the greater portion of the water remaining in the air will thereupon be precipitated, but no freezing or frosting will occur to any substantial amount due to the small amount of moisture contained in the air when it reaches this stage, as well as the rapid drainage therefrom. Thereupon, the cold dry air will be drawn into the blower fan and discharged I through the pipe 39 into the interior of the car 40.

As shown in Fig. 5, upon it being desired to heat the air rather than cool it, the box 10 may be opened and the refrigerating units removed from the compartments 11 and 12, the same being replaced by the heating units which comprise a plurality of steam coils 60 mounted in the units 61 and connected in series by a steam pipe 62, said coils being so arranged as to baffle and heat the air drawn through the compartments 11 and 12, as

above described. 1

Suitable steam traps are provided at the 'bottom of the steam coils which are connected v box comprising a plurality of compartments in communication with each other, a mass of air-flow difiusing and heat-conducting material substantially filling the flow passages through said compartments, and a refrigerating unit in each of said compartments, for providing a plurality of different cooling stages, one of said refrigerating units being maintained at a lower temperature than the other, said units being so positioned with respect to the passage of air therethrough that the first cooling stage of said air will cause a maximum precipitation of moisture substantially without freezing the same while the second cooling stage will cause a'further reduction of temperature of the air after the greater portion of the moisture has been removed.

2. An apparatus for conditioning air in a compartment comprising a box associated therewith, means for causing air to pass therethrough into said compartment, said box comprising a plurality of compartments in communication with each other,a refrigerating unit in each of said compartments, for providing a plurality of different cooling stages, one of said refrigerating units being maintained at a lower temperature than the other, said units being so positioned with respect to the passage of air therethrough that the first cooling stage of said air will cause a maximum precipitation of moisture substantially without freezing the same While the second cooling stage will cause a further reduction of temperature of the air after the greater portion of the moisture has been removed, and a passageway through which said air is caused to pass before reaching said refrigerating units for receiving and maintaining to a given level the moisture precipitated by said refrigerating units, whereby the air will be cooled during its passage and cleansed by reason of itscontact with the water contained therein.

3. An apparatus for-conditioning air in a compartment comprising a box associated therewith, means for causing air to pass therethrough into said compartment, said box comprising a plurality of compartments in communication with each other,'a refrigeratmg un t 1n each of said compartments, for

providing a plurality of difierent cooling stages, one of said refrigerating units being maintained at a lower temperature than the other, said units being so positioned with respect to the passage of air therethrough that the first cooling stage of said air will cause a maximum precipitation of moisture subtherewith,v means for causing air to pass stantially without freezing the same while the second cooling stage will cause a further reduction of temperature of the air after the greater portion of the moisture has been removed, a passageway through which said air is caused to pass before reaching said refrigerating units for receiving and maintaining, to a given level the moisture precipitated by said refrigerating units, whereby the air will becooled during its passage and cleansed by reason of its contact with the water contained therein, and a plurality of air conducting pipes, positioned in said passageway for conveying the air drawn therethrough to the inlet of the first .refrigerating unit.

4. An apparatus for conditioning air in a compartment comprising a box associated therethrough into said 'com artment, said box comprlsinga plurality o compartments in communication with each other, a refriger- V ating unit in each of said compartments,

a maximum precipitationof moisture substantially without freezing the same while the second cooling stage will cause a further:

reduction of temperature of the air after the greater portion of the moisture has been removed, a passageway through which said air is caused to pass before reaching said refrigerating units for receiving and maintaining to a given level the moisture preclpitated by said refrigerating units, whereby the air will be cooled during its passage and cleansed by reasonof its contact with the water contained therein, a plurality of air conducting pipes positioned in said passageway for conveying the air drawn therethrough to the inlet of the first refrigerating unit, and a mass of coke and the like surrounding the discharge end of said pipes and the interior of said box for baffling and breaking up the air and causing its passage therethrough to be retarded.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto aflixed my signature.

CLINTON F. SHADLE. 

